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Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to build on their first victory of the season

Author of the article:

Murray McCormick • Regina Leader-Post

Publishing date:

July 23, 2016 • 3 minute read

A drenched Chris Jones walks off the field at Mosaic Stadium on Friday night after registering his first victory as the Saskatchewan Roughriders' head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations.Don Healy/ Regina Leader-Post

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“You can’t just assume that this is going to be the trend,’’ quarterback Mitchell Gale said Friday after the Riders’ record improved to 1-3 before 30,172 spectators at Mosaic Stadium. “We have to show up the first day of work and start prepping for Montreal (on Friday). We have to start the process of preparation all over again. It’s a long season, but that’s what it takes to be a top team in the league.’’

The Riders were talking about being a top team because they had just beaten the league’s best. The Redblacks rolled into Friday’s game with a 3-0-1 record, with two of those wins coming on the road.

Tyler Crapigna’s 53-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter stood as the winning points. Crapigna hit on all five of his field-goal attempts Friday and has connected 15 of 17 attempts this season.

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“This is huge,’’ Crapigna said. “We’ve been here before. We were in a close game in Edmonton. To finally break the barrier now, that’s huge for our team.”

Saskatchewan’s defence then stood up after Crapigna’s clutch kick. Ottawa wasn’t able to register a first down after scrimmaging from its 38-yard line. Defensive end Justin Capicciotti iced the win with his second sack of the contest, with Ottawa facing third-and-14.

The sacks were Capicciotti’s first since he signed with the Riders as a free agent during the off-season after spending two seasons with the Redblacks.

“This is big for us to get our first win, but it’s still only one win,’’ said Capicciotti, who chipped in with four defensive tackles. “We still have work to do. If we can build on a win and we can do that every week, then we will be good.’’

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The Riders registered their first home victory since Sept. 27, when they beat the Alouettes 33-21. The span between home wins made the victory even sweeter for Naaman Roosevelt, who led the Riders with eight receptions for 182 yards on Friday, including an 89-yard pass-and-run touchdown.

“It feels good to win because it’s hard to win in this league,” Roosevelt said after surpassing 100 receiving yards for the third time this season. “We’ve always had confidence, but it just gives us more and more confidence to play.”

The game is an indication that the Riders are coming together after an off-season that was filled with change among the football operations staff and on the roster.

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Chris Jones was hired as the Riders’ general manager, head coach and vice-president of football operations eight days after coaching the Edmonton Eskimos to a 26-20 win over the Redblacks in the Grey Cup game. The majority of Edmonton’s coaching staff then followed Jones to Regina.

Jones dipped in heavily into the free-agent pool to rebuild a team that went 3-15 in 2015. The result was that only four of the Riders’ 24 starters on Friday were with the team in 2015.

“We’re a really new team with a lot of new players from different teams who are playing together for the first time,’’ said linebacker Otha Foster, one of five former Eskimos who signed with the Riders as a free agent during the off-season. “As the year goes on, we’re going to continue to mesh and we’re going to get better.’’

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The Riders eked out a win without marquee quarterback Darian Durant on the active roster. Durant missed Friday’s game while nursing a sprained left ankle that he suffered in the Riders’ 40-27 loss to the visiting B.C. Lions on July 16.

Gale, filling in for Durant, picked up a win in his first CFL start while completing 21 of 36 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. Jones will wait and see what happens with Durant’s progress before deciding on who to start against the Alouettes.

“Darian has to see if he’s well,’’ Jones said. “If Darian ain’t well, then Gale will start.’’

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